Applications operable on computing devices include menus that provide user-selectable options for the applications. Stand-alone applications, web applications, and the like include the menus. A menu often includes a number of menu items, which are often located in a banner that is positioned across the top of a user interface for an application. Each menu item is associated with a number of sub-menu items. If a menu item is selected, the menu item's sub-menu items are displayed in the user interface in a drop-down menu. Selection of a sub-menu item may cause other sub-menu items to be displayed or may cause a function of the application to be performed. For example, a drawing application for drawing computer images on a user interface may include menu items for drawing, color, editing, view, etc. Sub-menu items for the drawing menu item might include line, square, circle, 3D, box, etc. Selection of one of the sub-menu items, such as the circle sub-menu item, causes the user interface to display a drawing pallet where the drawing pallet includes drawing options for drawing circles. The drawing pallet displays the function associated with the circle sub-menu item. Menu items and sub-menu items may also have associated state data. For example, for the circle sub-menu item, the state data includes a size of the drawing pallet, text in the drawing pallet, and an enablement state of the drawing pallet.
The application may display different sub-menu items on computing devices of different users. For example, a computing device that is using a free trial version of an application may display only a portion of the sub-menu items, whereas a computing device of a paying licensee of the application may display all of the sub-menu items available for the application. Considerations other than licensing rights of users' may also be used for controlling the sub-menu items of an application that the computing devices display.